Present at the Ranch

Tag Archives: declutter

Clutter. It’s something that effects all of us in one way or another. Whether you’re neat or not, there is always potential for clutter, isn’t there? And not just physical clutter, but emotional as well. Our physical and emotional clutter affect each other and often times by decluttering our car, office or house we feel better emotionally.

Recently the Ranch offered a class on decluttering from Andrea Gerasimo. Ironically, the weekend before the class I finally tackled cleaning up my desk, which had been piled high with papers that I did not want to go through! Embarrassingly, I had been putting this off for months. And as I was listening to Andrea speak about why it is that we let clutter happen, I finally understood. It wasn’t that I was lazy or messy (the rest of my house is usually clean). It was what the papers represented. In my mind, the papers (usually mail) would open up or lead to all these other things I would have to address and since I’m already so busy as it is, the thought was overwhelming. What I didn’t realize was that by putting this off, every time I saw my desk or worked on my computer, all these papers were weighing me down emotionally. Once I finally tackled the mess of papers on my desk, I felt so much better, like a weight had lifted. And it really wasn’t that hard to do. Really, once I took that first step the rest was a breeze.

So what’s the best way to declutter? Here are a couple of tips to help get you started:

Figure out your real purpose for decluttering. This will help you decide what to keep and what to give away or toss. Also, what will be the long-term benefits? Peace of mind, better relationship, less stress?

Choose to declutter at a time of day when you have the most energy, usually earlier in the day.

Play music, drink plenty of liquids and wear sturdy shoes. Decluttering can often be a big project and these little things will help keep your energy up.

Assemble boxes and label them! Very important to keep things organized while you’re decluttering.

One of my favorite tips from Andrea is to create something beautiful in the place that you have cleared. Some sort of decorative item that will protect the space from accumulating clutter again.

Now, I know a class about clutter doesn’t sound like much fun, but I have to be honest, as funny as it sounds I was enthralled throughout the entire class. Andrea’s passion for decluttering, serene spaces and feng shui is contagious. Believe it or not, after the class I was excited to get home and go through my drawers and closets!